Planet fantastic: Stunning images of the world's most breathtaking landscapes. They look like scenes straight out of the latest sci-fi blockbuster, futuristic landscapes from a distant alien world.But this is planet Earth at its most magnificent, the spectacular quirks of mother nature that continue to astound and delight in equal measure.

NASA's best photos of February 2012, Chapter 2.

NASA science is focused on better understanding Earth through the Earth Observing System, advancing heliophysics through the efforts of the Science Mission Directorate's Heliophysics Research Program, exploring bodies throughout the Solar System with advanced robotic missions such as New Horizons, and researching astrophysics topics, such as the Big Bang, through the Great Observatories and associated programs.

NASA shares data with various national and international organizations such as from the Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite.

Understanding of natural and human-induced changes on the global environment is the main objective of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise. NASA currently has more than a dozen Earth science spacecraft/instruments in orbit studying all aspects of the Earth system (oceans, land, atmosphere, biosphere, cyrosphere), with several more planned for launch in the next few years.